This invention generally relates to the detection and transmission of sensory data. More particularly, the present invention relates to computer code(s) for detecting and transmitting sensory data from one portable device to another for analytic purposes.
Techniques and devices for detecting a wide variety of analytes in fluids such as vapors, gases and liquids are well known. Such devices generally comprise an array of sensors that in the presence of an analyte produce a unique output signature. Using pattern recognition algorithms, the output signature, such as an electrical response, can be correlated and compared to the known output signature of a particular analyte or mixture of substances. By comparing the unknown signature with the stored or known signatures, the analyte can be detected, identified and quantified. Examples of such detection devices can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,401 (by Lewis et al. and assigned to California Institute of Technology); U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,070 (by Gelperin and assigned to NCR Corporation); U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,326 (by Mottram et al. and assigned to British Technology Group Limited); U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,833 (by Lewis et al. and assigned to California Institute of Technology); U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,701 (by Payne et al. and assigned to Aromascan PLC); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,398 (by Lewis et al. and assigned to California Institute of Technology), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Concurrent with the development of better detection techniques for detecting analytes, there is an emerging need to develop methods and devices to efficiently transmit the collected sensory data for swift analysis. Under some prior customary practices, the sensory data were first captured and then physically transported back to a laboratory or some other designated facility for subsequent analysis. Very often, analyses on these data would not be performed until a substantial period of time had elapsed and consequently their results would not be available for hours, days or even weeks.
Timely transmission and analysis of sensory data for detected analytes have tremendous applications in a variety of areas. There are many instances where it is desirable to obtain results on the analysis of the sensory data in a timely manner. For example, in a hospital/medical environment, it would be greatly beneficial if data collected from a patient can be transmitted quickly to a laboratory to determine the cause of the patient""s ailments thereby allowing the doctors to prescribe the necessary treatment without any undue delay. In a similar example, medical and other related data from home monitoring devices can be collected and transmitted swiftly to the appropriate hospitals and/or authorities to allow them to provide better response to home emergencies. In another example, in environments where the presence of certain substances can potentially lead to dangerous conditions, such as a gas leak in a foundry or a home, the swift transmission of sensory data for analysis can very well preempt an impending disaster. Clearly, there are many other situations which one could think of where the efficient transmission of sensory data will generate tremendous benefits. Hence, it would be desirable and beneficial to provide a system that is capable of timely transmitting sensory data for analysis.
In addition to the need to have timely transmission of sensory data, there is a need to provide easy access to the collective data compiled for the known analytes. The results of any detection analysis are only as good as the data which are available for comparison. At the present time, various analytes have been identified and data therefor have been compiled and stored all over the world. Perhaps, due to the voluminous amount of data that are available, these data are generally not centralized in any one particular repository but are instead separately stored at different facilities. The segregation of these data, therefore, renders a complete and accurate analysis more difficult. Hence, it would be desirable to have a system that is capable of providing better access to various data repositories thereby allowing more accurate analyses to be performed. The present invention remedies these shortcomings by providing a system of transmitting, storing and retrieving sensory information.
The present invention generally relates to detecting and transmitting analyte data from a field device to a processor. In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides computer codes for capturing and transmitting analyte data over a computer network such as an internet, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network or any combination thereof.
In a specific embodiment, the present invention provides a system including computer code for capturing and transmitting analyte data pertaining to an unknown analyte. The computer code is embedded in memory, which can be at a single location or multiple locations in a distributed manner. The system has a first code directed to capturing data for the unknown analyte using a field device at a first geographic location. The system also includes a second code directed to transmitting the captured analyte data to a processor at a second geographic location via a computer network. In a preferred embodiment, the captured analyte data are transferred via a worldwide network of computers such as an internet, the Internet, a combination thereof, and the like.
In one aspect, before the captured analyte data are transmitted, the system includes computer code directed to encoding the captured analyte data by the field device into a transmissible format. The system also includes computer code directed to decoding the encoded analyte data by the processor to permit analysis to be performed. In order to analyze the captured analyte data, the system further includes computer code directed to retrieving data of known analytes from an electronic library and performing the analysis using such data. In addition, the system includes computer code directed to updating the electronic library with the captured analyte data. This code and others can be used with the present invention to perform the functionality described herein as well as others.
By transmitting the captured analyte data via a computer network, the present invention provides a system including computer codes that is capable of transmitting analyte data in a timely and efficient manner. Consequently, analyses can be performed swiftly and results can be obtained on a more expedited basis.
Numerous benefits are achieved by way of the present invention over conventional techniques. For example, the present invention allows for the efficient transfer of analyte data from one geographic location to another geographic location thereby providing utility and applications in various areas such as hospital/medical applications, fire safety monitoring, environmental toxicology, remediation, biomedicine, material quality control, food monitoring, agricultural monitoring, heavy industrial manufacturing, ambient air monitoring, worker protection, emissions control, product quality testing, oil/gas petrochemical applications, combustible gas detection, H2S monitoring, hazardous leak detection, emergency response and law enforcement applications, explosives detection, utility and power applications, food/beverage/agriculture applications, freshness detection, fruit ripening control, fermentation process monitoring and control, flavor composition and identification, product quality and identification, refrigerant and fumigant detection, cosmetic/perfume applications, fragrance formulation, chemical/plastics/pharmaceuticals applications, fugitive emission identification, solvent recovery effectiveness, anesthesia and sterilization gas detection, infectious disease detection, breath analysis and body fluids analysis. Additionally, the present invention uses conventional computer hardware and/or software, which make it easy to implement.
Using a distributed computer network for collecting analyte data and then performing the analysis and interpretation remotely has a number of advantages. For example, every new piece of data can be added to the electronic library thereby continually expanding the repository of knowledge. This approach allows historical data to be kept and retrieved for subsequent use. In addition, with the use of an electronic library, data can be easily shared at different physical locations thereby facilitating objective data comparison. For instance, data relating to a product can be captured at various shipment checkpoints to provide quality control on the product. Finally, by providing the capability to have a number of field devices transmit data to a central location, a large area can be monitored for safety or other purposes.
Reference to the remaining portions of the specification, including the drawings and claims, will realize other features and advantages of the present invention. Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with respect to accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.